Republicans to Reintroduce Anti-Abortion ‘Heartbeat Bill’

Ohio legislators on Aug. 15 reintroduced a
bill that would ban abortions in the state as early as six weeks after
conception, but questions remain about the proposal’s constitutionality.

The bill has been dubbed the “heartbeat bill” because it prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.

In the past, some of Ohio’s anti-abortion
groups, including Ohio Right to Life, raised concerns about the
heartbeat bill because they said it could lead to legal challenges that
would endanger the anti-abortion movement.

So far, Ohio Right to Life’s concerns
might be proving true in North Dakota. A federal judge on July 22
blocked a similar law in that state after deeming it unconstitutional.

“The United States Supreme Court has
unequivocally said that no state may deprive a woman of the choice to
terminate her pregnancy at a point prior to viability,” wrote U.S.

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District Judge Daniel Hovland, who was appointed to the District of
North Dakota seat by former President George W. Bush in 2002.

Health experts generally agree viability is not reached until 24 weeks into the pregnancy.

When contacted by CityBeat on Aug. 15, Ohio Right to Life declined to comment.

Abortion-rights advocates are already standing against the proposal, which they call an attack on women’s rights.

Forty of 99 legislators in the Ohio House have signed onto the bill, according to The Associated Press.
The Ohio Senate majority caucus and Gov. John Kasich have so far
declined to comment on the bill when asked by various reporters.

In June, the Republican-controlled General Assembly and Kasich passed a two-year state budget
that imposes regulatory hurdles that make it more difficult to get an
abortion in Ohio and have already forced various abortion clinics to
shut down in Ohio.